Iowa's Earliest Blizzard: Iowa Time Machine September 24, 1942

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 24, 1942, the earliest significant snowstorm ever to hit Iowa took place as an extensive system pummeled the upper Midwest. With totals reaching up to 9 inches across the Midwest, Forest City in Winnebago County and Cerro Gordo County’s Mason City each recorded four inches, topping totals throughout Iowa.

Unseasonably high temperatures in the 30s and 40s, averaged between 20 to 30 degrees below the norm, preceded the wide-ranging winter storm. As a low-pressure system gathered steam and moved through southern Alberta and into North Dakota, the storm began dumping snow on unsuspecting Midwesterners working the annual harvest.

Although many locations in Iowa saw snow melt before accumulating early in the day, the storm stretched out, and the low-pressure front stalled, stacking measurable totals across the state. A significant challenge for farmers, the snow impacted soybean harvest as combines struggled to take in the snow-bent beans in the following weeks. The heavy snow also damaged communications and electrical wiring statewide.

The storm claimed two victims in Iowa, both men from Calmar, killed when heavy snow downed a large tree across Highway 9, leading to poor visibility and a fatal crash. Although the snow melted quickly as temperatures returned to normal the following week, the storm reminded Iowans that winter was on the way. #Iowa #OTD #History #Snow #Weather